Inside gun holster



May 10, 1966 E. J. CLARK INSIDE GUN HOLSTER Filed Jan. 29, 1964INVENTOR. [4R4 J. CAR/K 62/42 (dam ATTOP/VFV United States Patent3,250,448 INSIDE GUN HOLSTER Earl J. Clark, Los Angeles, Calif.,assignor to Bucheimer- Clark Leather Goods Corp, Los Angeles, Calif., acorporation of California Filed Jan. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 340,926 5Claims. (Cl. 2242) This invention relates to an improved revolverholster which may be comfortably worn in a concealed position inside thetop of the trousers of the user.

It is an object of this invention to provide a holster of the characterdescribed which includes novel means for releasably locking the holsteragainst withdrawal or displacement from the desired concealed positioninside the top of the trousers of the user. i

It is another object of this invention to provide a holster such asdescribed wherein novel resilient clamping means and means cooperabletherewith on the exterior of the body of the holster will automaticallyreleasably lock the holster in place incident to positioning the holsterinside the top of the trousers of the user with a portion of theclamping means extending downwardly over the outer side of thewaistband.

It is another object of this invention to provide a holster such as nextabove described which may be effectively releasably locked in placeinside the top of the trousers of the user whether or not a belt ispresent, since in either case a resilient portion of the clamping meanswill extend downwardly over the outer side of the waistband to a pointbelow the belt area so as to cooperate with means on the side of theholster opposed to the inner side of the waistband, for effecting thereleasable locking of the holster.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holster of thecharacter described wherein means on the exterior of the body of theholster forms a shoulder disposed so that the resilient portion of theclamping means which extends downwardly over the outer side of thewaistband below the belt area will force the material of the trousersinto engagement with the shoulder to releasably lock the holster inplace.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a holster of thecharacter described wherein a spring metal clamp of inverted U-shape ismounted on one side of the body of the holster with one leg fixed to theholster and the other leg disposed to extend downwardly over the outerside of the waistband of the trousers of the wearer when the holster ispositioned inside the top of the trousers, there being on the other legof the clamp an inwardly directed locking portion which, when disposedbelow an outstanding shoulder extending transversely across the fixedleg of the clamp, will force the material of the trousers against theshoulder and there by releasably lock the holster in place.

It is an additional object hereof to provide in a holster of thecharacter described novel means for fastening one leg of the U-shapedclamp to the holster body and providing a locking shoulder forcooperation with the clamp.

A further object hereof is to rovide a holster such as next abovedescribed wherein the means for securing one leg of the U-shaped clampon the holster is in the form of a leather strip which is stitched tothe body of the holster so as to overlie the leg of the clamp andwherein this strip may be provided with a transverse opening which formsonthe upper side thereof a shoulder against which the material of thetrousers is forced by the locking portion on the other leg of the clampfor releasably locking the holster in place.

It is another object to provide a holster such as next above describedwherein the outer leg of the U-shaped clamp is tensioned so that itnormally bears against the other leg of the clamp exposed in the openingin the leather strip which fastens the clamp to the holster, therebypreventing the locking portion on the outer leg from wearing orprotruding inwardly the leather side of the holster body which would beexposed except for the fastened leg of the clamp extending thereover.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafterdescribed or will become apparent to those skilled in the art, and thenovel features of the invention will be defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a revolver holster embodying the presentinvention, showing the manner in which it may be positioned inside thewaistband of the trousers of the wearer;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the holster on a larger scale than shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view partly in elevation taken on theline 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional and elevational view corresponding to FIG. 3, butshowing in dot-dash lines how a part of the clamp extends over the outerside of and below a belt on the exterior of a waistband of the trousersof th wearer; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the clamp removed from theholster.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, a holster embodying the presentinvention includes a body 7 adapted to releasably support a revolver Rwhen mounted in a substantially concealed position inside the top of thetrousers T of the user as indicated in FIG 1. The body 7 may be made ofa single piece of leather or other suitable material which is doubledupon itself, stitched together at the edges as at .8, and suitablyshaped in a manner to releasably support the revolver and at the sametime avoid undue bulkiness in consideration of the holster being worninside the waistband portion of the trousers.

In accordance with this invention, novel means are provided on theholster body 7 for releasably locking the holster against unintentionalwithdrawal or displacement from the desired concealed and substantiallyupright position inside the top of the trousers of the user. This meansis constructed and arranged so that it will releasably lock the holsterin place incident to positioning the holster inside the top of thetrousers. An outer element of the locking means is disposed so that itwill extend over the top of the waistband and downwardly over the outerside of the waistband for cooperation with a second or inner lockingelement disposed on the holster body inside the trousers. The outerlocking element is tensioned to force the material of the trousers belowthe belt area of the waistband into engagement with the other or innerlocking element in such a manner as to releasably lock the holsteragainst withdrawal upwardly or angular movement to either side of thedesired substantially upright position of the holster inside thewaistband.

Referring more specifically to the releasable locking vmeans abovereferred to, it will be seen that it may cornprise a resilient clampgenerally designated 9 that is carried by the body 7 for cooperationwith means also on the body 7 providing an outstanding shoulder orabutment 10 against which the material of the trousers is forced by theclamp to efiect the desired releasable locking action as will beapparent with reference to FIG. 5. In this connection, it should benoted that when a belt B, shown in FIG. 1 and by dot-dash lines in FIGS,is used, the clamp 9 extends over and below the belt, thereby making thelocking action efiective with or without the presence of a belt.

The clamp 9 may consist of spring metal or other suitable resilientmaterial in strip form that is bent to an inverted U-shape to provide aninner leg 9a and an outer clamping leg 9b. The bight portion 90 of theclamp is disposed slightly above the upper end of the body 7 of theholster so as to lie over the upper edge of the waistband.

As a means for mounting the clamp on the holster body 7, a strip 11 ofleather or other suitable material is laid over the inner leg 9a andstitched around its side and lower edges as at 12. to the body 7. Theinner leg 9a may be provided with pointed pron-gs or kerfs 13 struckoutwardly from the edge portions thereof to bite into the leather strip11 so as to prevent withdrawal of the leg of the clamp from beneath thestrip.

The outer leg 9!) is of such length and so outwardly spaced from theinner leg a that it will extend downwardly in outwardly spaced relationto the belt B, if present, and below the belt. Adjacent its lower endthe leg 9b is provided with a detent or locking portion 14 which extendsinwardly therefrom and is U-shaped, being so formed by bending a portionof the leg at a point spaced somewhat inwardly from the free endthereof. The means providing the abutment 10 for cooperation with thelocking portion or detent 14 may consist of a transverse opening or slotin the leather strip 11 of sufficient width and length to accommodatethe detent or locking portion 14 and to provide the shoulder or abutment10 at the upper edge of the slot. It should be noted that the leg 9b istensioned so that the locking portion 14 will extend through the slot 15and bear against that portion of the inner leg 9a that is exposed by theslot.

It will now be apparent that when the holster body 7 is positionedinside the top of the trousers T of the user with the outer leg 9a ofthe clamp 9 extending downwardly, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the lockingor detent portion 14 will force the portion M of-the material of thetrousers opposite thereto into the opening or slot 15 and against theshoulder 10, thereby releasably locking the holster in the desiredposition. The free end of the leg 9b serves as a tab or handle portion9d which may be grasped to pull outwardly on the leg 9b to release theclamp 9 for removing the holster from position of use.

It should be noted that when the holster is pushed downwardly into thetop of the trousers of the user with the outer leg 9b of the clamp 9facing downwardly, the looking portion 14 will releasably lock theholster in place immediately that it reaches a position opposite theopening or slot 15 as the material of the trousers as at M will then beforced against the shoulder 10. During downward movement of the lockingportion 14, the rounded outer end thereof will slide freely over thebelt B if present, or over the waistband, while causing the leg 9b to beflexed outwardly so that when the portion '14 comes opposite the opening15 it will snap the material at M into the opening 15 and therebyreleasably lock the holster in place.

Another feature of importance is that the releasable locking means notonly prevents unintentional upward movement of the holster in theoperation of removing the revolver therefrom, but also, due to the closefit of the portion 14 with relation to the opening 15, restrainssidewise or angular movement of the holster out of the desiredsubstantially upright position inside the top of the trousers of theuser. When it is desired to remove the holster it is only necessary totake hold of the tab portion 9d and pull outwardlyon the leg 91) todispose the locking portion 14 out of locking position whereby theholster may be easily lifted, the rounded end of the member 14 ridingfreely over the waistband or the belt, as the case may be.

The clamp 9 and the strip 12 for holding the clamp in place arecompactly arranged and do not appreciably increase the bulk of theholster whereby the holster may be worn inside the top of the trouserswithout any discomfort to the user.

While the holster is primarily adapted for use by men, it is to beunderstood that women wearing trousers or skirts could conceal theholster and lock it in place in 4 substantially the same advantageousmanner as herein described.

While the mounting means for the holsteris particularly adapted forreleasably locking the holster in position of use inside the top of thetrousers of the wearer, it is to be understood, however, that suchmounting means may be employed for releasably locking a holster inpositions of use with respect to other parts of the clothing of theuser, if such variational positioning is desired.

While specific structural details have been shown and described, itshould be understood that changes and alterations may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. Meansfor securing a revolver holster inside the top of the trousersof the wearer comprising: a resilient U- shaped clamp; means adapted tobe fixed on said holster over one leg of said clamp to mount said clampon said holster with the other leg thereof disposed to extend downwardlyover the'outer side of the waistband of the trousers; said last namedmeans providing a shoulder that is disposed opposite said other leg ofsaid clamp; and a locking portion on said other leg extending inwardlytherefrom and operable when said other leg is disposed in apredetermined position outside the trousers to force the material of thetrousers against said shoulder to releasably lock said holster in place.

2. Means for securing a revolver holster inside the top of the trousersof the wearer comprising: a resilient U- shaped clamp; a member adaptedto be fixed on said holster in overlying relation to one leg of saidclamp to mount said clamp on said holster with the other leg thereofdisposed to extend downwardly over the outerside of the waistband of thetrousers upon positioning said holster inside the top of the trousers;said member providing a shoulder that is opposite said other leg of saidclamp; and a locking portion on said other leg extending inwardlytherefrom and operable when said other leg is disposed in apredetermined position outside the trousers, to force the material ofthe trousers against said shoulder to releasably lock said holster inplace; said locking portion being inwardly spaced from the free end ofsaid other leg to provide a gripping free end portion spaced outwardlyfrom the outer side of the trousers for manipulation to flex said otherleg outwardly for moving said locking portion out of locking position.

3. Means for mounting a revolver holster inside the top of the trousersof the wearer comprising: a resilient U-shaped clamp; a fastener stripadapted to be fixed to said holster in overlying relation to one leg ofsaid clamp to mount said clamp on said holster with the other legthereof disposed to extend downwardly over the outer side of thewaistband of the trousers upon positioning said holster inside the topof the trousers; said strip being of greater thickness than said one legand disposed in overlying relation to said one leg; said strip having anopening therein; and a locking portion on said other leg extendinginwardly therefrom and operable to force the material of the trousersinto said opening for releasably locking said holster inside thetrousers.

4. A revolver holster comprising: a holster body adapted to bepositioned inside the top of the trousers of the wearer; a resilientU-shaped clamp; means fixing one leg of said clamp on said body with theother leg thereof disposed to extend downwardly over the outer side ofthe waistband of the trousers upon positioning said body inside the topof the trousers; said means for fixing said one leg including a strip ofmaterial fastened to said body in overlying relation to said one leg;said strip having a shoulder thereon; and a locking portion on saidother leg extending inwardly therefrom and operable to force thematerial of the trousers against said shoulder for releasably lockingsaid body inside the trousers.

5. A clamp for holding revolver holster inside the topholster for fixingone leg of said clamp on said holster with the other leg thereofdisposed to extend downwardly over the outer side of the waistband ofthe trousers upon positioning said holster inside the top of thetrousers; said strip having an opening therein in which a. portion ofsaid one leg is exposed; and a locking portion on said other legextending inwardly therefrom and being operable for forcing a portion ofthe trousers into said opening against said exposed portion of said oneleg to releasably lock said holster in place.

6 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS GERALD M.FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Examiner.

1. MEANS FOR SECURING A REVOLVER HOLSTER INSIDE THE TOP OF THE TROUSERSOF THE WEARER COMPRISING: A RESILIENT USHAPED CLAMP; MEANS ADAPTED TO BEFIXED ON SAID HOLSTER OVER ONE LEG OF SAID CLAMP TO MOUNT SAID CLAMP OFSAID HOLSTER WITH THE OTHER LEG THEREOF DISPOSED TO EXTEND DOWNWARDLYOVER THE OUTER SIDE OF THE WAISTBAND OF THE TROUSERS; SAID LAST NAMEDMEANS PROVIDING A SHOULDER THAT IS DISPOSED OPPOSITE SAID OTHER LEG OFSAID CLAMP; AND A LOCKING PORTION ON SAID OTHER LEG EXTENDING INWARDLYTHEREFROM AND OPERABLE WHEN SAID OTHER LEG IS DISPOSED IN APREDETERMINED POSITION OUTSIDE THE TROUSERS TO FORCE THE MATERIAL OF THETROUSERS AGAINST SAID SHOULDER TO RELEASABLY LOCK SAID HOLSTER IN PLACE.